The present invention pertains generally to the field of insulated building panels. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a new design for interlocking insulated building panels.
Insulated building panels for modular construction of walls, ceilings, or the like are well known in the art. Such insulated panels are generally formed of two outer, thin-skinned metal layers of aluminum or steel having an internal, relatively thick insulating core. The concept of insulated panels has been known for many years and various types of connections have been used to connect such panels together. For example, connection was made in many such panels utilizing an additional support member, such as a cleat, to actually connect together mating edge-to-edge outer skin members of the panel in order to provide connection. In the past, efforts have been made to eliminate such cleats and to provide edge connections which are formed by the edge structure itself so that no additional cleat or other connecting member is required.
An example of such an insulated panel is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,963 of Meyerson. One disadvantage of the panel member illustrated in the ""963 patent is condensation caused by water settling on the bottom skin of the roof panel. In the situation where the panel members are connected together to form a ceiling for a room such as a patio enclosure, the upper, outer metallic skin becomes the roof and the bottom or inner metallic skin becomes the ceiling. Any leakage which travels from the top edge-to-edge connection to the bottom edge-to-edge connection actually lands and puddles on the very bottom metallic skin, which is the ceiling in the room. If the settled or accumulated liquid is cold (such as cold rain in winter) as compared to the temperature within the room, the cold liquid can cause the thin-skinned inside panel metallic skin to be reduced in temperature to the point that condensation forms on the outside of this bottom skin member (which is actually within the enclosed room). Of course, any condensation on the bottom skin member, which is the interior or ceiling side of the room, is extremely undesirable since the water may then drip onto furniture, carpet, etc. and cause the various problems caused by a leaky roof.
The utilization of the general concept of a male edge connector on a panel to be pressed into position in a groove, recess or valley in a female edge connector in a flush fit is known in the art. In one prior art device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,728 of Christopher et al., a panel is disclosed that attempted to overcome the problems discussed above by providing insulated roof panels which may be easily installed by pushing the panels together and may be easily be taken apart, and which will avoid leaking and condensation on the interior metallic skin. The ""728 patent has a female connector with a V-shaped valley and a generally internally curved male connector configured to rest to the V-shaped valley of the female connector when two adjacent panels are connected. The panels in the ""728 patent were designed to prevent or minimize leakage and condensation without use of caulking or other sealant. When connected, the male and female connectors form an elongated gutter or flow channel that is generally triangular. When the panels are horizontally positioned, rain water entering the top connection collects in the flow channel and flows outwardly to the exterior of the structure. Further, the design had secondary gutter for overflow if too much water collected in the flow channel.
While the design of the ""728 patent was an improvement over some of the prior art, it had its disadvantages. One of the major problems with the ""728 design is that the differences in shape between the female and male connectors create a xe2x80x9cloosexe2x80x9d fit when adjacent panels are joined together. The connectors of the ""728 design can be manually manipulated to improve the fit once adjacent panels are joined together, but this manual manipulation is time consuming. It would therefore be preferable if adjacent panels were able to achieve a tight fit when connected while overcoming the problems of designs preceding the ""728 design.
An alternative insulated panel design involves the use of splines for connecting one panel to another. Such panels are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,389 of Porter. Using splines eliminates the need for the construction of interlocking members at the sides of the panels. Also, the splines help prevent collection of water at the skin of the panel that acts as the ceiling when the panel is being used in roofing construction. However, as shown in the aforementioned patent, a panel system is provided having a panel joining arrangement for structural panels having opposed outer facings and an inner insulating foam core. The panel joining arrangement employs a pair of spaced metal splines, each bonded to the outer facings of adjacent panels and separated by an insulating core material. An adhesive may be applied to the spline prior to insertion in one of the slots.
One problem with spline systems is that they generally use adhesive. This makes the connection of panels a more permanent connection than that of interlocking members. Also, the use of adhesive increases the required time to create a panel system structure because it involves additional steps not required in an interlocking panel system. It would be preferable if there were provided a panel system having the benefits provided by the use of splines as well as those provided by the use of interlocking members, while eliminating the problems encountered by the two different panel types.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an insulated building panel configured for connection to a like adjacently positioned insulated panel to form a building system. The panel comprises a generally rectangular central core of insulating material having two major surfaces and two side surfaces, substantially flat sheets attached to the major surfaces of the central core. Integrally formed with one of the sheets at a side surface of the central core is a male connector. The male connector comprises a generally convex curved first male mating member, a generally convex curved second male mating member, and a generally concave curved member between the first male mating member and the second male mating member. Also integrally formed with one of the sheets at a side surface of the central core is a female connector. The female connector comprises a generally concave curved first female mating member configured to accept the first male mating member, a generally concave curved second female mating member configured to accept the second male mating member, and a generally protruding member between the first female mating member and the second female mating member.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an insulated building panel system comprising two insulated building panels adjacently positioned and connected together, each panel comprises a generally rectangular central core of insulating material having two major surfaces and two side surfaces, sheets attached to the major surfaces of the central core. Integrally formed with one of the sheets at a side surface of the central core is a male connector. The male connector comprises a generally convex curved first male mating member, a generally convex curved second male mating member, and a generally concave curved member between the first male mating member and the second male mating member. Also integrally formed with one of the sheets at a side member of the central core is a female connector. The female connector comprises a generally concave curved first female mating member configured to accept the first male mating member, a generally concave curved second female mating member configured to accept the second male mating member, and a generally protruding member between the first female mating member and the second female mating member.